


Nobody But You

by SnapTheVolleyNerd



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Best Friends, M/M, Slow Burn, ZaDr, anxious dib membrane, depressed dib membrane, dib has ptsd, nope - Freeform, not at all, solid friendship first, thank you, they care about each other, they will fight tho, totally not crushing on each other, very much, zim has depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:13:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25966432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnapTheVolleyNerd/pseuds/SnapTheVolleyNerd
Summary: After the Florpus, Zim and Dib reach what was meant to be a temporary truce, but it changes over time...
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 99





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> my sibling got me into the Invader Zim fandom and for the past several weeks I have been: "head empty, only Invader Zim"
> 
> enjoy!

Zim sat alone, watching the humans going about their lives from his windows. It had been approximately 3 months since he understood that the Tallest would never be visiting Earth. He looked over to Gir, who had shut down two weeks ago, due to requiring maintenance.

“The almighty Tallest never planned on coming to Earth, not even once, Gir.”

His voice echoed through the quiet house, and he finally allowed himself to feel the one emotion he had never permitted to run though him. Sadness. But he was quick to realize that this was a very different type of sadness, although he was powerless to do anything now that it had been allowed. Sighing tiredly, he closed his eyes, and began to lose himself in his thoughts. Of all the signs of the Tallest’s plans.

“I don’t know Gaz, Zim hasn’t shown up in _months_. It’s weird. Even after the florpus, he was still actively trying to take over Earth.”

Dib looked to his sister, surprised to see even she seemed to be worried. After all, she had heard from him exactly what had happened before the florpus event.

“Dib, look. If you’re so worried…just go check on him.”

He sighed, a strong sense of concern coursing through him as he nodded at Gaz.

“I’ll go over there right now. Don’t wait up for me, Gaz.”

She gave him a thumbs up as he dashed out the door. A thousand thoughts running through his mind, he hoped that Zim was at least no longer trying to take over Earth. He took a deep breath as he knocked on the door softly. He jumped as it slowly creaked open.

“H-hello? Zim? Gir?”

Puzzled that not even Gir was present, Dib continued walking before stopping in front of the couch. He felt himself go pale as he looked at the grim sight before him.

Gir, deactivated and laying lifeless on one side of the couch, his hand reaching for what Dib assumed was Zim. He had grown gaunt and pale, to point of being barely recognizable, even to _him_.

Swallowing, Dib carefully stepped towards Zim, hoping he’d be able to see a slow, steady rise and fall of his chest. Reaching out, he gently tapped on Zim’s shoulder, immediately flinching away afterwards. Opening an eye, he sees that Zim appears to still be asleep.

“Zim?”

Gently shaking the alien by the shoulders, he felt immense relief as his eyes finally opened. His relief was short lived however, as he looked into Zim’s eyes. The were so full of pain and sorrow.

“hey man.”

His voice was soft as he gently tried to pry Zim off the couch, careful to not disturb Gir.

“Come on Zim, can’t you work with me here?”

As he struggled, he realized it certainly wasn’t Zim’s fault that he was stuck to the couch. Taking a deep breath, he gently grabbed Zim, and quickly yanked him off the couch. Zim shifted in his arms slightly, a hint of recognition flashing across his face for only a moment.

“Yeah, it’s me, buddy. Come on, let’s get you and Gir back to my house. You both need some help.”

The only response he got was a soft groan from Zim. But as he carefully grabbed Gir and set him on Zim’s chest, Zim held him close.

“Look at him Gaz, he needs help!”

“I didn’t say he didn’t.”

Dib looked out in the living room, watching Zim as he clutched Gir’s lifeless body closer.

“Hello children, it is time for dinner!”

“I’m gonna pass, dad.”

“Now son-“

“ _My friend needs my help right now dad!_ ”

Dib shouted as he saw Zim roll of the couch and hit the floor with a painful thud. He rushed into the living room, gently picking up Zim and Gir before he marched into his own room.

“I don’t know what happened, Zim, but I’m gonna help you.”


	2. Game Night

“Zim, can you not.”

“NEVER!”

Dib’s eye twitched slightly as Zim yelled in his ear. Somehow, he had been talked into giving Zim a piggyback ride home. However, Zim was easily distracted by all of the small butterflies that flew around him and was attempting to catch them.

Dib sighed in frustration but didn’t attempt to stop him.

“So what do you want for dinner tonight? We’ve had like…nothing but pizza for the past three weeks.”

“ZIM DEMANDS BURGERS AND FRIES!!”

“Again with the yelling, greenie?”

There was no malice in his words any longer, and he chuckles lightly as he spoke. Suddenly, Dib had a brilliant idea. There was a MacMeaties two blocks away. Tightening his grip on Zim’s legs, he took off running at top speed, laughing as Zim screeched in shock.

“ ** _DIB-HUMAN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!_** ”

“ _I’m running greenie, what does it LOOK like I’m doing?_ ”

Zim continued screaming until they at last reached MacMeaties, where Dib carefully set him down.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Dib chuckled as he watched Zim collapse dramatically onto the ground.

“Zim, I don’t know why you’re being so dramatic, I do this all the time.”

“ _Not when I am on your BACK, Dib-stink!_ ”

Dib snorted as he held the door open for Zim, who grumbled quietly as he finally trudged through the door. Joining Zim inside, Dib waved at the cashier, who knew them both by name after the amount of time they had spent in the restaurant.

“The usual, you two?”

Dib glanced at Zim who huffed and nodded. He grinned as he turned to answer the cashier.

“Yeah, but to go today, it’s-“

“game night?”

Dib froze for a moment as Zim slunk off to their usual table to wait for their food.

“H-how did you know?”

“It’s Friday, last Friday was movie night, is what you told me, man.”

“Huh, I never thought you even really paid much attention to that…”

“Well, you two, even your green friend over there are nicer than most people to all of us.”

Dib looked at the cashier in disbelief as he paid for their food. Calculating how much money he would be getting back, he decided to surprise their usual cashier.

“Keep the change man. You deserve it.”

“Hey, thanks kid.”

Dib waved at the older boy before he dashed back to his and Zim’s table.

“Dib stink, what took you so long?”

Zim stuck his tongue out as he finished speaking, and Dib mimicked him, in an attempt to annoy him.

“I just talked to the cashier a little bit, is all. He says most customers aren’t as nice to him as we are.”

“Hm. I suppose _Humans_ are even worse than the variety of aliens who frequent Foodcourtia. Although I have yet to see a human shoot acid at a food service drone.”

Dib stared at Zim in shock as he attempted to process what he had just been told.

“Food- _what_ -ia?”

“ ** _Foodcourtia, Dib stink._** ”

Dib opened his mouth to ask what the _fuck that meant_ , when their food arrived. Zim eagerly grabbed at the bags as he hopped out of his seat, reaching for Dib’s arm.

“Oh no, I am _not_ giving you a piggyback ride home.”

“But you promised Zim!!”

Dib groaned as they walked outside, Zim continuing to demand a piggyback ride. He finally caved, on the condition that Zim carry their food.

“ _Fine_ , but no more running-“

Dib grinned as he took off running once again, laughing as Zim yelled at him the entire way home.

“Welcome home, son.”

“Dad?? You’re never home on Fridays.”

Membrane rubbed the back of his neck lightly, staring behind Dib, where Zim now stood.

“And what is your little green friend doing here?”

Dib’s eyes grew wide as he realized he had never spoken to his father about the weekly movie/game nights they had. He had never even asked for permission to have Zim over in the first place. Panicking, Dib started nervously fidgeting with his hands, unable to stammer out any words.

“Dib stink what is-“

Zim had his answer before he even finished speaking. Dib had often spoken of how unsupportive his father had been in the past, how he had yet to even mention their weekly nights together. Peeking over Dib’s shoulder, Zim could clearly see him struggling, and came up with a solution.

“Hello, Dib Parent unit, I am Zim!! We have important things to be doing, hm. A skool project, yes!”

Wide eyed, Dib glanced at Zim, a worried frown on his face. Zim seemingly ignored it, dragging him up to his room, leaving Membrane alone, wondering what had just happened.

“Breathe, Dib stink. You’re alright. Zim is here.”

Zim was quiet as he spoke, unlike his usual yelling. It was something he had learned over time, spending more time with Dib, learning how he reacted to certain things. It wasn’t something they talked about often, but they knew they could always count on each other.

Dib struggled to calm his shaking hands, desperately trying to calm down. Zim carefully placed his hands on Dib’s shoulders, calmly giving him instructions, and asking him to nod if he understood.

“Breathe with me, Dib stink.”

He nodded in agreement, as Zim quietly gave further instructions.

“Breathe in.”

“And out.”

“In.”

“out.”

Membrane stood in front of the door, preparing to knock when he heard Zim’s voice, followed by Dib’s.

“ _Can you tell me what number you are?_ ”

“ _S-seven._ ”

A soft rustling noise.

“ _Seven: if I answer this number, it means my anxiety is at one of the highest levels, and I can’t calm down on my own. I need help._ ”

Membrane froze as he processed what he was listening to. Had…had he caused his son to react like that?

“ _Dib, look at me. You are safe. And Zim will not leave you alone. Can you tell me where you are right now?_ ”

“ _I-I’m at home. I’m in my room._ ”

“ _That’s right._ ”

Membrane couldn’t listen any longer, and walked back downstairs, a thousand thoughts running rampant in his mind. How could he have missed so much that had happened in his son’s life?

_“Wishing isn’t very scientific, son.”_

_Dib had angrily thrown several of his ‘mementos’ around before storming out of the garage._

“Hmm. Perhaps…I should have paid more attention to his interests?”

_Dib coming home, covered in bruises and cuts from the day._

_“Son, what happened?”_

_“Nothing you would care about, dad.”_

Membrane rubbed his temples as the years of doing such things began to make themselves abundantly clear.

_“Now son, this therapist will help you, don’t you worry.”_

_“But dad, I’m scared!”_

_He did nothing else to comfort his terrified child, walking away._

“I need to do…something.”

_“Dad? Where’s Dib?”_

_“Hello honey. Your brother had to spend some time at a mental institution. He’ll be back home before you know it.”_

_Gaz looked up at him, with her big eyes. Dib had promised to play a new game he had found with her today._

_“When will he be back, dad?”_

_Membrane took a deep breath before he answered._

_“He’ll be gone for a month, honey.”_

_“…oh…”_

“I need to help him, somehow.”

“How are you feeling, Dib stink?”

“A lot better, Zim. Thanks.”

Zim glanced at Dib, unsurprised he looked exhausted. There had been many tears, and he had suggested having another movie night, rather than a game night. Dib had been all too eager to agree to that. Zim moved closer to Dib, remembering his words from some time ago.

_“Sometimes, when everything has calmed down again, physical contact is all it takes to relax again.”_

_“That sounds pathetic.”_

_“You say that, but it works on you, too, you know?”_

_“ **Lies!** ”_

“Dib stink, didn’t you say that humans need _water_ after times like that?”

“Mhm. But it’s…it’s okay. I’ll be fine. Besides, dad is still downstairs.”

Zim didn’t miss the slight tremor that travelled through Dib’s body at the mention of his father.

“ _Zim_ will bring you your filthy Urth water!”

“You don’t have to-“

“ **SILENCE!** ”

Dib flinched at the yelling, and Zim immediately calmed himself.

“Zim apologizes for scaring you. I will bring you the water.”

Now downstairs, Zim saw Membrane standing in the kitchen, and he quietly walked in, heading directly to the cabinet that he remembered held Dib’s favorite mug.

“Zim, was it?”

He jumped in surprise, although Membrane’s voice was soft.

“Y-yes, I am Zim!”

“Aren’t you the same boy that my son brought home to help last year?”

“Yes, that is I, Zim!”

Making note of Zim’s speech pattern, Membrane continued asking questions.

“Is he alright?”

“eh-“

“ _Is my son. Alright?_ ”

Membrane was closer now, lightly gripping Zim’s shoulders, before he slapped them away. Zim was furious, rightfully so.

He glared angrily at him, before speaking sharply.

“Not like you would even _care,_ but Dib is fine now, no thanks to **you**.”

Membrane recoiled at the venom in Zim’s voice, knowing that he deserved it.

“Now, if you will _excuse Zim_ , Dib needs water.”

“Wait-“

“ ** _No._** _If you want him to speak to you, you have to **earn** that right._”


	3. Membrane is...trying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dib pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginnings of a headache budding.
> 
> “Zim, you can’t just say that shit to my dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)c

“Zim, what the hell did you say to my dad on Friday?”

“I told him that if he truly desires to speak with you, he must _earn_ such a right.”

Dib pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginnings of a headache budding.

“Zim, you can’t just _say_ that shit to my _dad_.”

Dib groaned out as they entered their classroom. It was their last year at middle school, but they still had to deal with Ms. Bitters as their teacher, so all conversation was put on hold until lunchtime.

Dib scribbled nervously in his notebook, remembering the conversation he had had with his father earlier in the morning.

_“Son, I know I…haven’t exactly been the best father to you. But I want you to know, I’m here for you. Let me know what you need, and I **will** get it for you.”_

_Dib nervously twiddled with the hem of his shirt as he pushed his breakfast around on his plate._

_“o-okay dad.”_

_“…I…understand, if you don’t trust me, son.”_

_Dib looked over at Membrane, his anxiety growing more by the moment._

_“I know I’ve sent you to many horrible places, questionable therapists…”_

_Dib felt the color leave his face, as he thought back to those times._

_“But if you’d like, I will pay for a therapist, of **your own choice**. No questions asked.”_

_Dib gulped, but he saw Gaz give him the thumbs up from the living room._

_“O-okay, dad. I-I’ll look.”_

“Okay Greenie, _why_ did you even talk to my dad like, at all?”  
Zim shrugged his shoulders as he responded.

“Your dad is a horrible parent unit to you, and I told him as much. He insisted on knowing if you were alright and would not allow me to leave until I answered.”

“ _He what-_ “

Dib was interrupted by having his head slammed into his lunch tray, much to Zim’s anger.

“Back away from the Dib, Chunk!”

“Aw, and why should I, _freak_?”

Enraged, Zim launched himself across the table, landing on Chunk’s face, scratching at him. It wasn’t long before he was thrown off, hitting the wall rather hard.

“C’mon, man, what did we ever do to you?”

“oh, nuthin’, you’re both just disgusting _freaks_!”

He threw Dib over to Zim as he spoke the last word, but before he could walk over to the pair to pummel them, he was stopped by Torque.

“Dude, leave them alone, they were just fucking eating lunch.”

“Oh yeah? You want some too, Torque?!”

Sighing, Torque took a fighting stance, ready to fight the skool bully once again. Although most of the other children had grown out of picking on Dib and Zim, he still took every chance he had to make their lives hell.

“ _Get to your seats, children._ ”

Ms. Bitters paid no mind to the four beat up children in her class, only handing out test papers. Zim attempted to go to the skool nurse, but was told to finish the test and then take care of himself at home, much to his annoyance.

Dib twiddled with his pencil as he continued marking answers down on the paper, letting Zim see the answers, so they could check each other’s work, a system they had developed some time ago.

“huh, Gaz is usually waiting for us by now. Think she had a test today too?”

When Zim didn’t respond, he looked up to see Membrane holding Gaz’s hand and waiting for him. Dib felt himself beginning to panic, but Zim spoke before he could say anything.

“We have plans after skool, Dib will be home later tonight. Gaz is welcome to join us.”

Membrane looked to his daughter, who responded with a light shake of her head, indicating she wanted to spend time with him instead.

“Very well, boys. I will see you at dinner, son.”

Membrane turned on his heel, but Gaz could tell he was rather upset and worried about her brother.

“Dad, they’ll be fine. They do this all the time.”

“Honey, I’d like to talk with you for a little while when we get home. Is that alright?”

“uh…sure dad.”

“Are you feeling alright, Dib stink?”

“I’m fine, Zim. It’s just…he _never_ picks us up from skool. You know that.”

“Yes, Zim is aware. Even by Urth standards, his parenting is subpar.”

Dib groaned as he leaned over Zim’s desk, watching as he tinkered with one of Gir’s parts.

“So…how is Gir coming along?”

Zim sighed sadly.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to bring him back to how he used to be. I left him for…a very long time.”

“I know, Zim. Hey, want me to help with anything?”

Zim absently handed a tool and Gir’s body to him, explaining what he needed to do.

“You must make sure all components are clean, and undamaged. This includes the internal wiring, there is a large amount, especially around the ‘heart’ area.”

“Got it. So…I remember you used to say something about Gir being…defective?”

The sounds that had been coming from Zim working on Gir’s head stopped, and Dib looked over at him in confusion.

“I-is something wrong?”

“Gir is a defective Sir Unit. He was created by the Tallest when they gave me my “Mission”. He requires a lot of work and patience to handle.”

“But you can’t handle it without him, can you?”

Zim’s eyes grew wide before he looked away, a sadness growing inside him.

“…no.”

Zim put his protective goggles on his forehead, and Dib was able to see the sadness he often hid. He sighed tiredly.

“At least your injuries heal a lot faster than mine do, Greenie.”

He gently patted the top of Zim’s head as he spoke, remembering how it had comforted him before. He looked back down at the mess of Gir’s components that were spread all over their current work space. They still had a lot of work to do.

“Honey, do you remember when Dib had to go to the mental institute?”

“Yeah. He never really recovered, dad. He still has nightmares, you know.”

“H-he does, does he?”

Gaz nodded. She wasn’t sure where this conversation was going in the beginning, but now she had a fair amount of worry about it.

“What do you think would help your brother, honey?”

Opening her eyes, Gaz looked up at Membrane, gauging if he genuinely wanted to help Dib or not.

“First of all, stop asking him all those questions. Let him know he’s allowed to have friends over. And _don’t_ call him insane anymore, dad!”

Membrane raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting Gaz to have that many things for him to work on, but she was certainly not finished.

“If you ever hear him get up late at night, don’t go to check on him. He’ll go to who he trusts. Usually it’s me or Zim. Look, Dib is my brother, dad. I care about him, you know? But…you haven’t really treated him with much kindness for him being your son. It’s gonna take a really long time before he can really trust you, you know.”

“And…how would I begin earning his trust?”

“Maybe…you know, actually listening to him. Spending time trying to understand his interests. And maybe like, believing him when he talks about the Florpus. Because Clembrane’s still here, and he’s not leaving anytime soon, dad. He’s just mainly in the garage and basement now.”

Membrane rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about the events surrounding the Florpus, and suddenly he realized something.

“Honey, if that “Florpus” truly happened, wouldn’t that mean that Zim is actually an alien?”

“uhh…look dad, maybe just try to talk to Dib about it.”

He sighed deeply as he pondered their conversation, as well as thinking back to how Zim had reacted to him a few days prior. He had a lot of growing to do, if he wanted to earn his son’s trust.

“Okay, Greenie, I think I got his body all finished. How’s his head coming?”

Surprised by the lack of a response, Dib turned to his left side, only to see Zim had fallen asleep, hugging Gir’s head gently.

“Huh. I’ve got an idea…”

Cleaning the work area, and gently laying Zim down in his bed, he set to work on Gir’s head. He grunted quietly as he sorted through the wires that made Gir’s brain, unsurprised at how few there really were. As he checked the exterior for any damage, he noticed that Gir’s eyes appeared to need to be charged, if he recalled correctly.


	4. Gir Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lovable robot finally returns!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed last week's update smdh

Groaning, Zim rubbed his eyes, wondering why they burned so badly. Then a realization hit him. He had never taken off his disguise the day before. He looked around, surprised to see that he wasn’t in his lab. No, he was in the bedroom that Dib had helped him create. Taking off his contacts, he rushed into the lab, only to see that Dib had fallen asleep holding one of his tools in one hand, and Gir’s spotless body in the other.

Zim let out a soft gasp as he walked closer. Gir was nearly complete. Placing a gentle hand on Dib’s shoulder, he lightly shook the boy.

“Mmngh. G’morning to you too, Greenie.”

“Dib stink…did-did you finish fixing Gir?”

“Hmn? Oh, yeah, almost. I just don’t know how to reactivate him.”

Zim shook slightly as he walked towards Gir, reaching out a hand to activate him. There was a small humming noise as Gir’s eyes began to glow their usual teal.

“Hello Master! Hi Dibbie!”

Dib smiled softly as Zim struggled to hold back his tears, failing in doing so.

“Master, why you cryin’?”

“Gir, do you know how long you’ve been shut down for maintenance?”

“Mm-mm!”

“I-it’s been over a _year_ , Gir.”

Gir gasped quietly as Zim explained what had happened, with Dib’s help. Zim cried rather often as they told Gir the story of why he had been deactivated for such a long time. Gir took the opportunity to simply stay in his master’s lap and hug him.

“Morning, dad.”

“Good morning honey. Have you seen your brother?”

Gaz opened her eyes to look at him, before shaking her head no.

“Hmm. It was a school night, isn’t he normally home earlier than this?”

“Relax dad, he probably just spent the night at Zim’s. They _did_ say they had a project for skool.”

Membrane was silent as he set down a plate of waffles for Gaz, his mind wandering as he thought about how often Dib must spend the night at Zim’s.

“honey, how often does your brother spend the night at Zim’s?”

“Uh…usually like…three or four times a week, dad.”

“That often?”

“Yeah.”

Membrane’s forehead creased in concern as he thought back to the many times he could’ve done _something_ to help his son, even if it was just something small.

“I’m going to go over to Zim’s house and pick him up. The both of you need to be ready for skool, I’ll be driving you as often as I can.”

“Dad, sometimes when he spends the night at Zim’s, it’s because one or both of them needed a break from skool. Plus they did have a big test yesterday.”

“I’ll go to at least check on them then, and bring them some breakfast. I won’t make them go to skool today.”

Zim sniffled as Gir hugged him tightly, when they heard a knock on the door. Zim jumped, before exchanging a look with Dib.

“Don’t worry, I’ll see who it is.”

“Wait!”

Dib froze at Zim’s command.

“Computer, who’s at the door?”

The computer put the guest on the screen, showing Membrane himself, and Dib’s eyes grew wide.

“I-is that dad? With…waffles? And chocolate milk?”

Confused, Dib rushed downstairs, colliding with one of the roboparents that they were in the process of dismantling.

“ _Ow, shit!_ ”

He stumbled the rest of the way to the door, giving himself a moment to catch his breath before he opened it.

“Son? Are you…alright?”

“I’m-I’m fine, d-dad! Um…did…did you need anything?”

“Well I came to check on you and your little green friend and bring you breakfast. Your sister said you both had a difficult test at skool yesterday, so I am allowing you to skip today. But please do eat your breakfast and be home in time for dinner tonight.”

“O-okay. Um…thank you?”

“Of course son. I’ll see you tonight at dinner.”

Dib awkwardly waved goodbye as Membrane walked away from the house, and towards the car. Through the window, he saw Gaz, and once more, she gave him a thumbs up. And he knew that she was handling things with their dad as much as she could.

He smiled softly before he turned back into the house, nearly tripping on the roboparents again.

“Zim! Gir! My dad brought breakfast and said we could skip school!”

Gir happily dragged Zim downstairs, making sure he didn’t collide with anything. Meeting Dib at last in the kitchen, the trio sat down for waffles. Zim and Dib each gave Gir one of their waffles and some of their chocolate milk, before they began eating.

“So, Dib stink, what did your father unit want.”

“He just said to make sure we eat, we can skip school, and I have to be back home in time for dinner tonight. Which is weird because I’ve never even had a curfew.”

“That’s true. I wonder what brought this sudden change.”

“I don’t know man, but it’s…it’s gonna take some getting used to.”

“Hm.”

“Master, can I watch tv!!?”

“Yes you may, Gir. I’m sure you have a lot of shows to catch up on. You’re allowed to catch up on _all of them_.”

Gir gasped happily, before he ran out of the kitchen and jumped onto the couch.

Zim sighed happily, listening as Gir flicked through the channels, before realizing that there were recordings of what he’d missed.

“Zim, what are we going to do about my dad? If he’s gonna be like _this_ now, we’re gonna have to change up a lot of shit.”

“nonsense! Zim will just spend more time at your home, Dib stink!”

“Uhhh…yeah, how do you wanna explain that to my dad. Besides, you can’t wear your disguise all the time at my house anyway.”

“Zim has been working on a new one! Much superior to Tak’s!”

“Oh boy.”

Zim dashed back upstairs, as Dib watch, amused. Once he came back down, he pushed a button on his wrist, and there was a small flash of light.

“Ah, do not worry, it was only for the first integration. There will be no more flashing now!”

Dib slowly opened his eyes and there was Zim, in…the same disguise.

“Uh Zim…that’s…exactly the same.”

“Silence human! It is superior in every way!”

Dib walked over to inspect the new disguise. He ruffled Zim’s hair lightly, surprised at how soft it was. He inspected the eyes a bit closer, noticing they most certainly looked more human somehow.

“Well, I guess it does pass the test. I mean, it’s not a wig, it feels like real hair, and your eyes look like real human eyes.”

Zim grinned as he showed off his new disguise, rather proud of himself. He sighed happily as they walked into the living room, settling in on either side of Gir. They were both exhausted, and were looking forward to simply watching a movie or two with the robot.

“Ooooo! Look, a new movie!! Can we watch it!!!?”

“Sure, Gir. I’ll get some popcorn going.”

Dib was quiet as he spoke, careful to not disturb Zim as he got up and headed to the kitchen. He chuckled as he saw Gir cuddle up closer to Zim, clearly happy to finally be back. Dib smiled softly, as he remembered how torn Zim had been over the amount of maintenance that he had neglected to give him during the time he had disappeared through the time that Dib had found the pair unresponsive on the couch.

He sighed again, rummaging through Zim’s cupboards. They had worked together to make the inside of the house seem more human, in the event that any other human may need to enter. Not only that, but once Dib convinced Zim to begin eating more human food, he realized that Zim truly _did_ need nutrients to survive, much to his shock.

Since that time, Dib had made sure to keep Zim’s food supply stocked well, with foods that would in fact, supply him with the nutrients he needed as an Irken. They were still working out what foods were safe, but they had certainly been happy to discover that Zim had built up a tolerance, and even enjoyed a variety of _healthy_ human foods.

Shaking his head, Dib found the popcorn. That was all he had meant to go into the kitchen for anyway, he told himself. Certainly not to make sure his alien friend still had plenty of food. (he didn’t.) Dib groaned quietly as he put the popcorn in the microwave, and set about making a list for Zim.


	5. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zim has a nightmare, Dib is an expert at handling such things

Dib sighed happily as he turned off the final movie Gir had asked to watch. Zim was still sound asleep, and Gir seemed to have joined him, much to his surprise.

“… _m…my tallest-_ “

“hm? Zim-“

Dib froze when he saw Zim crying in his sleep, clutching Gir closely. Panicking, he reached over to lightly ruffle Zim’s hair.

“What…what exactly did they _do_ to you, Zim?”

He knew that the tallest were more or less like parents in Zim’s eyes, at least. Although they had talked about them on occasion, it was rare to hear anything that could be considered the truth about them.

_“Okay, so the Almighty Tallest right now, their names are Red and Purple?”_

_“That is correct, Dib stink.”_

_Dib scribbled some notes in his journal before he asked another question._

_“Okay, who were the tallest before them?”_

_“Ah…Tallest Miyuki. Of our previous leaders, she was the best. She was succeeded by tallest Spork, who only survived a single day. And then we have the current Almighty Tallest right now.”_

_“Huh. What happened to Miyuki and Spork?”_

_Zim froze, carefully considering his words._

_“I-it was my fault. An experiment…got out of hand.”_

_“Hey, we don’t have to talk about it. It wasn’t your fault. You can’t control the outcome of experiments, especially not yours, Zim”_

_Dib opened his arms, and for the first time, Zim willingly came to him for comfort._

“Zim, come on man.”

He gently shook him by his shoulders, hoping to wake him.

“Wake up, come on! You’re having a nightmare, Zim, snap out of it!”

Dib’s words became more and more concerned as Zim still didn’t open his eyes. He shook him harder, hoping that the force would finally wake him up. Zim groaned as he finally opened his eyes, only to realize he was looking directly into Dib’s. Panicking, Zim shoved Dib away, not fully comprehending what had happened.

“Dude can you please find your chill?”

Zim hissed in response, and so Dib raised his hands in defeat, showing he wasn’t going to hurt Zim in any way. He quirked an eyebrow up, as Zim seemed to realize what had happened.

“D-did Zim have a nightmare?”

“No shit, Greenie. Bad one too, it seems like. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Zim shook his head, but still seemed troubled. Dib gestured for him to follow him as he walked towards the kitchen.

“Sit down, I’m gonna make you something to help you feel better, kay?”

“Mhm.”

Dib glanced at Zim, who still seemed to be uneasy. He was clutching the sleeves of the soft hoodie Dib had given him a few months prior, his eyes clouded as if he was thinking of something he’d rather not. Sighing, he rummaged around a few cabinets until he found the ingredients he was looking for.

“Aha!”

Zim jumped, although Dib’s voice was soft.

“Sorry, Greenie.”

Zim huffed, but watched as Dib quickly mixed together a few of the ingredients in a pan on the stove, much to Zim’s confusion. Dib watched out of the corner of his eye as Zim slowly walked over to see what he was making.

“Hey, can you grab that bottle of milk from the fridge, Greenie?”

“Hmph.”

Dib chuckled quietly as he heard the fridge close lightly, and Zim set the milk on the counter for him. Zim watched as Dib opened the milk, and poured a generous amount into the bubbling liquid before he turned the heat to a lower level.

“Okay, can you grab your favorite mug, Zim?”

Zim nodded, quickly opening one of the lower cabinets and grabbing a “Mysterious Mysteries” mug, a gift from Dib. He handed the mug to Dib, who carefully poured the steaming liquid into it, not quite reaching the top.

“Okay Greenie, sit down and prepare to be amazed!”

Dib walked to the fridge, grabbing a can of whipped cream to garnish the cup, and sprinkled some marshmallows on top. Finally, he set the cup down in front of Zim, who eyed it suspiciously.

“Just _try_ it, space boy.”

Glaring at Dib, he took a small sip, eyes growing wide as he finally tasted the warm liquid. It was Dib’s homemade hot chocolate, he didn’t normally spare the time to make it, Zim remembered. He allowed himself a small smile, knowing that Dib had made it, just for him.

Sitting in the chair across from him, with a cup of water, Dib gave Gir a small cup of hot chocolate as well.

“So, do you wanna talk about it now, Zim? Y-you don’t normally talk in your sleep, but you did this time.”

Zim sighed, twiddling with the handle on his mug before he spoke.

“I-I was dreaming about the Tallest. How Tallest Miyuki had seen greatness in me, and I repaid her kindness by creating the very thing that ended her life. And-and then it was Red and Purple. The last transmission I received from them, once they escaped the Florpus.”

“What? I-I thought you said there was only the one, when _you_ called them?”

“I lied. I didn’t want you to know how much of a failure I was.”

“Zim, you know I would never think that about you.”

Zim gripped his mug with both hands, hoping to hide how they shook.

“I had opened a connection to them, in order to update them on my progress in my mission. They did not realize that I had gotten through. They were speaking of why they sent me to Urth. A fake mission, meant to exile me from Irk. **_Permanently._** I had thought that we were friends. We went to the military academy together. Graduated together.”

Dib knew such pain all too well, but he silently waited for Zim to continue.

“They said that they would have had me executed, had I stayed on Irk. My PAK has been reprogrammed, encoding me as an exiled Irken, never to set foot upon Irk, or any planets conquered by my kind again.”

“And that’s what your nightmare was?”

“Not exactly. I was back on Irk. And…and the…execution…”

“Okay, Zim, you don’t have to tell me anymore if this is too painful for you.”

Zim sniffled, taking another sip of his hot chocolate. He nodded his head, choosing not to speak, for fear of breaking down, a sign that Dib knew very well by now.

“Come on Greenie, isn’t it like, your bedtime now? I gotta get home soon, but I’ll text you after dinner.”

Zim nodded, letting Dib lead him back upstairs, Gir happily hopping with them. Dib was quiet as he tucked the alien tightly into bed, helping Gir up so he could cuddle with his beloved master once again.

“I’ll text you later, Greenie, get some rest.”

His voice was soft as he left the room, happy to see his best friend already beginning to drift to sleep.

“Dad, Gaz, I’m home!”

“Son, there you are. I was preparing to come and pick you up.”

Dib felt his heart sinking, as he realized that Gaz wasn’t downstairs, which meant it was just him and Membrane.


	6. Membrane Cares

Before Membrane had the chance to even ask his son how he was doing, he had bolted up the stairs, but not before Membrane has noticed how pale his face has become the moment he saw him.

He sighed tiredly, as he thought back to how Dib had reacted in the two years he had spent locked in his bedroom. He had refused to speak to him. Even Gaz wasn’t tolerated for the first few months.

A deep frown creasing his brows, Membrane lost himself in thought. The day before Zim had disappeared weighed heavily on him, even now, three years later.

_Membrane sighed tiredly, looking at the large boxes of files he had recently brought home, from his two most amazingly successful experiments, twelve and eleven years ago. Silently, he went back upstairs, to ensure both of his children were sound asleep. After all, he didn’t want them learning about these experiments, not until they were adults. He feared that even then, they may not understand._

_Cracking open Dib’s door, he saw that his son had fallen asleep atop his numerous books on the supernatural, once again. He was softly snoring, and Membrane took the rare opportunity to look at his son’s face, noting how exhausted the tiny boy seemed to be._

_Gently, Membrane lifted the boy out of his chair, before quietly walking over and tucking him into bed. He sighed as he watch Dib’s face contort into a frown, which quickly left his face, and he could only imagine what Dib could be dreaming about._

_Leaving his son to rest peacefully, he went to check his beloved daughter’s room. He had learned long ago that she had created her own security system for her bedroom, but it was only activated once she was asleep. Glancing around her room through the barely open door, he at last caught sight of some of her security stuffed animals._

_Finally back downstairs, now that he was assured his children were asleep, he removed his gloves and lab coat. He took a deep breath before he removed the lid from the largest, dustiest box. The faded label read: **DIBROMIDE MEMBRANE: SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT**_

_Yet another tired sigh escaped his mouth, as he opened to first of many files, not bothering to pick up the photo that immediately fell from it. He had been debating on where to hide such a large amount of information until his children were older, as well as how to answer the question of whom their mother was._

_After inserting the tape, he sat down on the couch, prepared to review his recordings. As the video at last began to appear, he heard his own voice, questioning how to get the blasted lens cap off._

_“Aha! There we go. Now then. Today, I am conducting yet another cloning experiment. Name: Dibromide. Thus far, the fetus has been the most successful of my many attempts to clone myself.”_

_As he finished speaking, he stepped to the side, revealing a fully formed baby. Stepping behind the table the canister was on, he began speaking once more._

_“Currently, I am attempting to remove it from the “womb”, so to say. No other clones have made it to this stage alive, and I have very high hopes for this child.”_

_Ever so carefully, he began unscrewing the top, a bit of steam coming from it, as he glanced quickly at the child’s vital signs._

_“As you can see, it is still breathing. Now, for the true test. To see if it will survive outside of the life sustaining fluid.”_

_He gently put his hands around the child, beginning to lift it, all while keeping a constant watch on it’s vitals. Before he had even turned the child around to face him, it had begun crying._

_“By science, I’ve done it! The first successful human clone!”_

_Membrane never did quite understand how such an experiment had changed his life so drastically. But he hadn’t heard the soft footsteps of his son, nor had he heard the horrified gasp as the video had begun. He **did** , however, hear the strangled yelling from his son. _

_And like that, their world came crashing down around them._

Collapsing onto his bed, Dib groaned in frustration. He had tried so very hard to overcome the sudden intense fear he had of his father, but nothing seemed to work. Scoffing, he reminded himself that he wasn’t even his real dad. After all, he was only a clone.

“Dammit…”

Rolling onto his side, he thought about how to explain his and Zim’s friendship. Glancing out the window, he thought about how much their lives had changed, once they accepted each other as friends.

He had hoped he’d be able to get sleep once he got back to his own bed, but found himself restless, a feeling he’d become all too familiar with. Growling in frustration he stood back up, and went to his desk. He’d been working on a prototype for Zim’s disguise. Now that Zim had perfected the hologram, Dib was able to continue working on his surprise for him.

Membrane stood in front of Dib’s closed door, pondering on whether he should knock, when he heard a frustrated growl, which seemed to emanate from his son’s bed. Closing his eyes, he listened carefully, and what he heard told him his son likely suffered from the same problem he had, on occasion.

He could hear his son tinkering, likely with some of the “alien technology” he’d found over the years. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, an odd feeling of fear and concern making itself known.

“ _What do you want, Gaz?_ ”

“It-it’s me, son.”

Silence.

“May I come in?”

After a moment without an answer, he began to turn away. But then he heard the door creak open, ever so slightly.

“What do you w-want dad?”

“I’d just like to talk with you, son.”

“About what?”

“About what happened a few years ago, as well as anything that’s happened more recently that you need to talk about, son.”

It hadn’t been a day that Dib liked to remember. Or even think about. But finding out that all he was, was an experiment of his “father’s” had broken him in a way he couldn’t understand. He was full of questions for Membrane, but terrified of the answers.

The truth is, he’s a brilliant young man, with a kind heart that Membrane hadn’t counted on. Despite Dib being his clone, the two couldn’t be more different. And that was where their thoughts collided.

_“This shouldn’t be possible, the formulas were all perfect, ever calculation was correct! **What in god’s name did I do wrong**?!”_

_He was yelling at himself at his home lab, his two “children” both off to school for the first time since Dib attacked a young boy, whom he claimed look like a werewolf._

_His “son” was meant to have the same hunger for scientific knowledge that_ **he** possessed, and yet, the boy preferred hunting for the supernatural!   
  
“How badly have I managed to botch this experiment somehow that he’s gone **insane**?!”

_And then it had clicked. His “son” must be insane. That’s what the public must be told, in order to avoid becoming the laughingstock of the scientific community. His “daughter”, of course, was his pride and joy. Excelled in each thing she did, and, although not so interested in science, it was clear she was gifted._

_And so began the worst decision Membrane ever had, and ever would make. A mistake that would alienate his children. He dared not breathe a word to anyone._

“First of all, I’d like to apologize for the many horrid things I did, and caused for you. I understand that you may not ever be able to forgive me for all I’ve done, but I hope you understand how deeply regretful I am for each and ever action I did that ever once caused you harm. You are my son, and you deserve to be respected, whether I believe in your interests or not, I will support you however I can.”


	7. We Got This

Zim woke up to a nearly empty home, with Gir hugging him tightly, even in his sleep. Groaning quietly, he reached for his phone, which was quite a bit away from him, and with Gir attached to him, he certainly had a much more difficult time of reaching it than he should have.

As he finally picked it up, it vibrated, indicating he had been texted.

_Dib Stink 2:34 A.M._

_Hey Greenie, apparently_

_Dad wants to talk to you_

_again. Something about_

_apologizing or some shit?_

Zim scoffed as he read the most recent texts before scrolling back to the older ones, realizing there was likely more context in the previous messages. Finally, he responded to his best friend.

_Little Green Man 2:37 A.M._

_He will suffer death at my_

_hand!_

_Dib Stink 2:38 A.M._

_DUDE NO_

_Little Green Man 2:38 A.M._

_HE DESERVES DEATH_

_Dib Stink 2:39 A.M._

_ZIM NO WHAT THE_

_HELL_

_Little Green Man 2:40 A.M._

_HE HURT YOU AND_

_HE WILL PAY_

**_Dib Stink Calling!_ **

“ _Zim have you lost your fucking mind?!”_

“ZIM NEVER LOSES ANYTHING, HUMAN!”

Dib smacked his forehead loud enough for Zim to hear it clearly over the phone, unknown to Dib.

“ _Look, Zim. Dad and I have been talking for a few hours, and yeah, it’s still awkward as all hell, but he at least wants to apologize. To **both** of us.”_

“Hmm.”

“ _Let’s just…give him a chance. Oh fuck, I gotta try to go to sleep, we got skool in the morning, Greenie. Night!_ ”

Dib sighed tiredly as he finally hung up the phone. The clock on his phone stated that it was currently 3:28 A.M. and he groaned as he still felt just as restless as before.

“God fucking dammit. I’m exhausted. Well…maybe if I try to sleep, at least…”

An hour later, he groaned in frustration before he reluctantly got out of bed. Switching his light on, he grumbled quietly about how not being able to sleep was complete and utter bullshit. Throwing around the multitude of dirty clothes, he looked for his phone before finally, he heard it ringing. From under his desk.

“Well, that’s uhhh….A new place, I fucking guess.”

He crawled under his desk, searching for his phone, before finally finding it and answering it.

“Hello?”

“ _DIB HUMAN WHY ARE YOU AWAKE, IS IT NOT YOUR SLEEPING TIME?!_ ”

“Okay, first of all, why are you screaming, second of all, **_what the fuck Zim?!_** ”

“ _I suspected you weren’t sleeping and you confirmed it! Why aren’t you asleep?!”_

“Remember how I told you about like…the nightmares and the not being able to sleep shit?”

“ _Yes?_ ”

“That would be why I’m still awake. I’m just gonna stay awake, but I’ll see you at Skool tomorrow. Or uh-today, actually. See you in a few hours. Bye Zim!”

“ _Wait-_ “

Dib groaned as he attempted to stand, and promptly hit his head on his desk.

“OW! God dammit!”

Finally crawling out from under his desk, Dib got into his chair and booted his computer up, as he prepared to continue Zim’s surprise.

To his shock, he had several missed messages from the Swollen Eyeball network.

“What the fuck?”

His heart skipped a beat as he opened the messages, which contained proof of Zim being an alien.

“ _Fuck._ ”

The messages stated that an anonymous source had submitted them, and they were likely to go public within the next 24 hours.

“Oh no…I-I gotta hurry and fix this! Um…I gotta call Zim and get him over here, where he’ll be safe. Shit!!”

Dib rushed around his messy room, quickly finding areas where Zim could hide, leaving his programs pulled up on his computer.

“Zim, get to my house. **_Now._** ”

“ _Wh-_ “

“I’ll explain when you get here, just get here right the fuck now, and don’t talk to _anyone_.”

Dib’s words were stumbling out of his mouth faster than he could process them, but he didn’t care anymore, he just needed to make sure his friend was safe and sound.

He jumped a mile when he heard the soft tapping on the window that indicated Zim had arrived.

“Come in, quickly.”

He glanced out the window before he threw the curtains closed in front of the window after closing and locking it.

“Dib human, what is-“

“Zim, someone has proof that you’re an alien and it’s gonna go viral if we can’t stop it.”

Dib watched as Zim’s face contorted from surprise to pure fear and horror as his words sunk in.

“Before you freak out, I’ve been working on a solution already. I just need to try and interface it with your hologram tech. I’ve got a cover story for you as well, that’s what we’re gonna tell the skool. You’re gonna be absent for the next couple weeks, “recovering” from a life saving surgery that will result in your skin becoming a natural human color, as well as receiving ground breaking prosthetic ears.”

Zim fiddled with the hem of his shirt, an anxious expression on his face, as he listened to Dib’s plan.

“I-I still need to ask Dad if you can stay here for the cover story, but it should work out fine. Uhh, we’ll need House to “write” an explanatory note, or give a call to the skool though.”

Dib was pacing rapidly, as he explained his plan to protect Zim as thoroughly as he could. He hadn’t noticed that his father was knocking on his door, a least not until Zim ran to hide behind him.

“Zim?”

Dib twisted to look at his best friend, not entirely understanding why he was hiding. Finally, he heard the knocking from his door. He gulped nervously as he walked over to the door and gently cracked it open.

“Son, is everything alright in there?”

“Uh…dad um….I have a really big favor to ask.”

“What is it son?”

“C-can Zim…Can Zim um…st-stay here for a few weeks?”

Dib offered no further explanation, not wanting to inadvertently cause further issues. It was at that moment that Membrane saw Zim peeking out above Dib’s shoulder.

“Hm. I suppose that will be alright, son. Shouldn’t you _both_ be asleep right now?”

“I uh…couldn’t sleep. Also um…Zim can’t go to skool for the time he’s gonna be here. I can’t explain right now…”

“That’s alright son. As long as you both are safe and healthy. I’ll call the skool to let them know you’ll be missing another day, son.”

Finally, Dib closed the door in relief as Zim crawled under his bed, the one space that Dib kept clean, since that was where the tiny Irken liked to spend his time.

“Okay Zim, let’s look at the surprise I’ve been working on for you.”

Dib walked to his computer, but before sitting, he pulled out a candy bar and tossed it under the bed for Zim.

“So, I’ve been working on this disguise for _weeks_ , but I got stuck because you hadn’t developed the hologram tech yet. Can you come out so we can test it?”

Zim slowly crawled out, the candy bar sticking out of his mouth, before he stuck his wrist out for Dib to inspect the hologram technology.

“Hm. Okay, so…let me try this…”

Carefully interfacing the hybrid tech they had made together with Zim’s PAK and the technology on his wrist, Dib attempted to open the new disguise file. There was a flash, and he turned to see Zim looking…not quite how he was meant to.

“ _What the fuck-_ “

Zim stood completely still, as Dib studied the effects. The positioning of the human ears was rather off, not to mention his skin color had gone from green to a rather unpleasant combination of pink, orange and green.

Dib unplugged the tech, and Zim’s disguise returned to what he had set up in the first place. Dib rubbed his eyes tiredly as he once again opened up the software he had been using.

“Okay so…ear placement, _very_ incorrect, coloring was uh…epically bad. It’s supposed to let you keep a little bit of a green tint, but it’s not super noticeable. Ugh, I have to redo _months_ of work!”

Zim looked at his best friend, and he quietly came closer, studying what the disguise had been _meant_ to look like.

“Dib stink, it seems you used my original measurements, which could possibly have caused this. Not to mention, you’re using the wrong variation of skin colors.”

As the two worked on the new disguise, hours passed by, and they barely registered that Membrane had come in at several points during the day to bring them sustenance.

Close to dinner time, Membrane came back upstairs, to see both boys pulling at their own hair in frustration.

“Uh…boys?”

“What!?”

The pair yelled, their voices laced with frustration.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“We’ve been trying to get the skin color for Zim’s new disguise right for _hours_! But no matter what we do, it always turns out so bad!”

“What does it look like right now?”

Membrane watched in anticipation as his son pushed a few buttons, and Zim’s disguise changed to his skin being what appeared to a mixture of brilliant pinks, yellows and browns.

“Well, boys…I’m no artist, but you may have the colors too saturated? You may also have too much of the brighter colors? Here’s some dinner, boys.”

Thinking about Membrane’s suggestions, Dib adjusted the saturation, as well as the shades, lowering the amount of bright colors. Finally achieving what appeared to be the perfect mixture of pinks, yellows and greens, Dib once again pushed the buttons that pulled the disguise up.

“Fucking finally!!”

Although they had fixed the skin color, they still had a lot more work ahead of them. Dib glanced at Zim, who seemed to be thoroughly exhausted.

“Uh, lets eat, Zim. We can take a break now.”


	8. Okay, maybe not

Dib groaned quietly as he, once again, found himself unable to sleep. Zim was sound asleep underneath his bed, clearly exhausted from the last two weeks of testing on the new disguise. Dib slowly got out of bed, being careful not to wake the tiny Irken.

Waking his computer from sleep mode, he pulled up a few of his other more recent projects. Drumming his fingertips on his desk, he pondered which thing to work on tonight. He had been working on a variety of tests to be sure that the foods he had been buying for Zim weren’t harming him. Because of this, he’d been able to identify several “allergies” before disaster could strike. The first time he gave Zim a cup of juice, they had both been worried about any reactions.

This led to Dib developing a way to use Zim’s DNA to test reactions to different foods, different elements of food, and the like. Glancing at the clock, Dib realized he had been attempting sleep for at least 3 hours, as the clock read 3:29 A.M.

“Okay, so most fruits are okay, but I haven’t checked these ones yet…”

Dib mumbled softly as he went through the incomplete database of foods that were safe for the unique Irken. It had been a shock to the both of them when they realized Zim could actually eat most human foods. He scrolled systematically through the list of foods to check, comparing it to his list of foods that Zim _could_ eat.

“Hm. Blueberries are good, I wonder if variations of foods with them in it are good too. Oh, that’s a long list…Oh well, I’ve got more than enough time to kill. Let’s see…oh boy, these aren’t in any order…”

Stretching, Dib stood and began tiptoeing downstairs, hoping that he could start a pot of coffee. He jumped when he heard something moving downstairs. He was silent as he crept downstairs, listening intently. The kitchen light was on, he noticed. Staying at the base of the stairs, he watched and listened.

“I do apologize for calling so late, my friend. I felt I should keep you updated about Zim. He’s mentioned you a few times in passing, and he’s mentioned your name is…House?”

A beat of silence, followed by a quiet chuckle.

“I see…so you’ve become a sort of…parent figure, something you weren’t meant to be, exactly?”

Dib was fascinated by this conversation, as he personally knew House, and had helped with a few minor repairs in the past few years.

“Hm, he’s faring quite well, to be frank with you. Although I believe he’s getting rather tired from the constant testing of his new disguise. There were quite a few issues at first, but it should be okay soon.”

Dib chanced taking a look at his father, and was shocked to see him standing in the kitchen, no lab coat in sight. It was a sight he had only ever seen a handful of times. His father, with a facial prosthetic, as an experiment had destroyed his jaw when he was a young man. The marred skin all over his body from the shark attack and other failed experiments. Not to mention the large metal back brace he wore, due to a preexisting condition that resulted in a rather contorted spine.

Dib looked closer, and was astonished to see Membrane didn’t even have his goggles on. And all at once, Dib understood why he often refused to remove them. His eyes were sunken in, with dark circles around them, showing how little sleep the man truly got. Not to mention the collection of scars all around his eyes, where his goggles typically sat.

“Yes, I’ve been very careful about what food I’ve been giving the boys. Speaking of which, how is your other little one, Gir?”

Dib held his breath as he waited for any kind of response. He heard a soft chuckle.

“Missing Zim, is he? I’d offer to have him over for a while, but I’m afraid my house isn’t exactly…safe for a child like him.”

Realizing he wasn’t going to be able to get any coffee tonight, Dib crept back upstairs, no less tired than he had been just moments prior.

Softly closing the door, he went back to his computer, and continued working on the list.

Membrane was enjoying the late night chat that he typically had with House, it had become a part of his routine over the past two weeks. It was rather relaxing for the both of them.

“So, my friend, I don’t suppose you happen to know the reason why the boys decided Zim would be staying with us for several weeks?”

“ _Nope. Zim never spoke a word about it to me, other than saying that Dib had called him over in a panic._ ”

“Hm. Rather odd, don’t you think?”

Membrane was doing a small tune up on Foodio as they spoke.

“ _Compared to a couple years ago? Not weird at all, honestly. **Gir! Put that back!**_ ”

“I-is everything alright, my friend?”

He heard an exasperated groan followed by a loud yell from Gir over the phone.

“ ** _GIR!! Stop that!! No, I do NOT NEED A BATH, PUT THE HOSE DOWN_** ”

“Oh my. Do you need assistance?”

“ _I’m gonna have to call you back tomorrow professor, Gir is SUPPOSED TO BE ASLEEP. You should be heading to bed as well, if I recall correctly._ ”

“Very well, House. I’ll speak to you in the morning. Good luck with Gir.”

Membrane hung up as he stood, stretching his arms. He looked at the clock, astonished that they had been on the phone for such a long time. Climbing up the stairs tiredly, he stopped by Dib’s room, mildly surprised to see a soft light from under the door. He knew his son had been having trouble sleep as of late, but he didn’t realize that he also refused to stay in bed after he’d attempted to sleep for several hours.

Choosing to address this issue at another time, Membrane slowly made his way to his own bedroom, grateful to be heading to bed after another long day.

“GIR!! GET BACK HERE _NOW_!”

House’s robotic arms were chasing after Gir as he dodged each time, still trying to spray House with the hose.

“ ** _That’s it, Gir. YOU’RE GROUNDED. No TV for a MONTH. NOW GO TO YOUR ROOM._** ”

Gir froze where he stood, at the entrance to House’s main systems room. A robotic arm quickly grabbed the tiny robot and placed Gir in his room, locking all mechanisms. Sighing in relief, House observed the damage that had been done. Several of his arms no longer worked, due to being hit with the hose so hard.

“Ugh. Gir, why the fuck did you even think I needed a bath?”

Struggling to move the remaining arms that worked, House attempted to clean up the mess that Gir had left behind.

“Oh, that’s not good.”

A large amount of water had leaked into his room, and he quickly called Membrane back, making note of the time, as it had likely been long enough for him to get his usual amount of sleep.

“ _…House? Is…is everything alright?_ ”

“Uh…not exactly. How soon can you come over?”

“ _I’ll be there within the hour._ ”

“Thank you.”

House hung up, desperately trying to keep his systems active, despite the flood level damage through the house.

Zim woke up to find Dib finally asleep, but hunched over his computer keyboard.

“Dib stink, why do you never sleep in your _bed_?”

Zim gently ran his fingers through Dib’s hair, watching as he sighed in his sleep, content.

“Whoa, you updated the list last night even?”

Zim looked at the boy in wonder, amazed at the amount of work he was able to get done in the short time that he was asleep. Zim grabbed the blanket he had slept under, hoping it was still warm, before draping it over the human. He smiled softly, a smile that no one had ever seen yet. He ruffled Dib’s hair one last time before he headed downstairs, where Gaz was sitting at the table, waiting for Foodio to make breakfast.

“Hello Gaz human.”

“Hey Zim. Did he even sleep last night?”

“Hm. Not until late, I don’t think.”

Gaz grunted, a rare look of concern on her face.

“At least he’s asleep right now, right?”

“Yeah. He was really tired…Where is the father unit?”

“Dad said he had to go help a friend today. How’s the disguise work going?”

Zim groaned, annoyance clear.

“That bad?”

“The interfacing with his computer constantly is exhausting…But I know he’s doing all of this to help me.”

“Zim, if it’s hurting you, you have to tell him, you know.”

He sighed tiredly.

“I know…but we’re almost done. I’ll be okay.”

“What in god’s name…?”

“PROFESSOR. Thank god you’re here!”

“House, what’s happened?”

Only two of the several dozen robotic arms were still functioning, much to Membrane’s concern.

“Well…as you heard on the phone, Gir was attempting to give me a bath. For unknown reasons, honestly. I’m barely able to function currently, thanks to him, and I was hoping you’d arrive before my circuits shorted. Gir is in his room, if you could help with repairs?”

Membrane rubbed the back of his neck, taking in the amount of repairs that were needed.

“House, if you’ll excuse me for a few moments, I must clear my schedule for the day. These repairs are going to take quite some time, I’m afraid.”

“Thank you, Pro **f _ess_** _o **r.**_ ”

“Oh my.”

Membrane rushed to call his assistants to clear his schedule as House’s words became more garbled.

“Yes, I need to clear the entire day, possibly tomorrow as well.”

“ _Is everything alright Professor?_ ”

“Hm, yes, a friend needs repairs done urgently, due to a young child not knowing how to properly handle extremely advanced technology, Angela.”

“ _Oh dear. I’ll reschedule your meetings and lectures sir. Don’t forget you need to stop by the lab today though, that one can’t be rescheduled._ ”

“Pardon?”

“ _That was your own doing, Professor, you need to pick up some more files about um… **those** experiments._”

“Ah.”

The last few boxes of paperwork on his children.

“Very well, I’ll see you sometime this evening, Angela. Please do apologize for me.”

“ _Of course. Have a good day Professor!_ ”

Hanging up the phone, Membrane donned his rubber gloves once again, preparing to clean out all of the moisture from the systems throughout the house. First things first, he went to repair the main systems so House could tell him where the most damage was.


	9. Error

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's that? I have wifi now? *YEETS SELF TO AO3*

“Okay Zim, we’re almost done, just a few final touches aaaaand…”

Yet another flash of light, and Zim stared in the mirror in awe. His skin was at last the proper coloring for a human, with the addition of a slight tinge of green. His eyes were still the proper coloring for an Irken, however the coloration as well as size was much more human in proportions. Not just that, his height was slightly altered as well.

“Zim is impressed, Dib Stink, for I look precisely like an inferior human.”

Dib rolled his eyes, before taking his glasses off to clean them. Zim was still growing accustomed to seeing Dib without his glasses, as he hated anyone seeing him without them. Dib yawned tiredly before swiveling his chair back to face his computer, completely ignoring his growling stomach.

“Dib-stink, you require sustenance.”

“The only food I need is coffee, Greenie, trust me.”

“Shall I tell Gaz-human that you’re refusing to eat again?”

“You wouldn’t fucking dare.”

Zim grinned evilly at Dib before he dashed out of the bedroom.

“SHIT. GET YOUR TINY GREEN ASS BACK HERE!”

Dib jumped out of his chair and sprinted after Zim, mentally kicking himself for even giving Zim a chance to not tell Gaz. He could hear Zim’s cackling laughter coming from downstairs, where he quickly followed. Breathing hard, he wondered why he was so exhausted from something he was normally so good at. Running and sprinting were some of his favorite things.

Leaning on one of the chairs in the dining room, he wheezed as he attempted to catch his breath. He heard a clatter not far in front of him, but when he looked up, the world around him was blurry.

“Dib-stink?”

A terrified shriek echoed through the Membrane household as Dib collapsed to the ground, his face flushed, still panting from his run through the house.

Zim gently poked his friend’s forehead, but immediately recoiled at the high temperature. Mentally going through the lists of human ailments that Dib could currently be suffering from, Zim hoped it was a common cold. In which case, he knew what he needed to retrieve for the human.

Gulping, he set his disguise to look as if he had just been out of the hospital recently. A failsafe that Dib had installed. He glanced at his wrist, ensuring that the hospital band was, in fact, there. Dashing to the bathroom, he mad sure his hair looked messy, and that his ears were covered by bandages. The final touch was grabbing one of Dib’s sweatshirts, and using the hood to cover his ears. He carefully hoisted Dib onto the couch, and covered him with a blanket before he remembered another remedy that he had heard helps to lower temperatures. He winced as he grabbed a wash cloth and shoved it under cool water, thankful that he had at last built up a resistance to water.

Wringing it out, he gently placed the cool cloth on Dib’s forehead, at last content that he could retrieve all of the necessary supplies in order to heal his friend. 

Membrane was currently struggling with the amount of water that Gir had managed to get _inside_ the computer, which in turn, made it increasingly difficult to proceed with repairs. Not to mention he had gotten rather drenched from opening multiple cable boxes which had been flooded.

He. Was. **_Pissed_**.

And he still had to get to the lab to pick up the last of his files, he realized as yet another area began beeping in alarm. Groaning, he removed his goggles and labcoat, drying the area closest to the mainscreens.

“ _Finally!_ I’ve made it all the way to the main room, where the most important parts are.”

Membrane breathed a sigh of relief as he set about gently drying House’s brain and the surrounding areas. At last, he was able to reboot House, who was more than happy to “see” the professor.

“House! I’m fairly certain I’ve dried the worst of it, but I need you to run a few self-diagnostics so I can be sure.”

“Sure thing professor, thank you.”

“Of course, my friend. Do you happen to know about how long it will take for these diagnostics?”

“If all goes well, an hour, possibly more.”

“I need to go pick up some rather sensitive files from the lab, but I’ll return here immediately after retrieving them.”

House watched as the professor worriedly paced, his words tumbling out of his mouth almost too fast for him to speak them. His voice began to soften as he realized the amount of projects he had to put to a grinding halt for the day.

“I do hope that there will be plenty of time tomorrow to catch up on everything I had to put on hold today…”

He murmured as he replaced his goggles and began searching for his lab coat. House certainly felt the professor’s frustration, but there was no one else they could have gone to for help, they reasoned. House used some of their robotic arms to find the lab coat and assist the professor in putting it on.

“Thank you very much for your help, Professor. I’ll see you soon, but I must divert all power to the diagnostics.”

A half-truth, the diagnostics certainly wouldn’t take all of their power, but seeing the relieved expression on the professor’s face, they were quite content with their choice. They powered down their main monitors, showing that the professor was free to leave, which he did so quickly. House couldn’t help but feel the faintest twinge of loneliness as they watched their friend leaving.

“Professor, are you on your way to collect the files?”

“I am, Angela, but I must leave at once after I retrieve them.”

“Oh dear, is your friend all right?”

Membrane thought to himself for a moment. He hadn’t even thought to make sure his good friend was quite alright before he left in such a hurry. Mentally cursing himself, he spoke carefully.

“Ah…the damage is…quite extensive, and they need the repairs as quickly as possible.”

“Let them know we all send out best wishes, professor! We’re about to head out for the night, but I trust we’ll all see you soon.”

Membrane chuckled, remembering the mandatory clocking out hour he had implemented after discovering many of his staff hadn’t been registered as doing overtime.

“That you will, Angela. Take care.”

He smiled softly, happy that he had even a small amount of employees who cared and respected him. Of course, he reminded himself, Angela was currently the most senior of his employees, a title she had earned through years of tireless effort. He remembered quite well, the day he had come across her sound asleep, sharing a table with numerous potentially deadly experiments. That had been the day he implemented a strict safety code.

He sighed at the memories, pushing them to the back of his mind as he arrived at the lab.

Zim had rushed to the closest supermarket, searching high and low for the best medicine he could get for his best friend. He had remembered hearing that orange juice could also help a sick human recover quickly, so he made sure to grab plenty.

“Hmmm. Orange juice, ZZquil? I believe is what Dib-stink said was best. Some chicken noodle soup? And of course the cough syrup…”

Zim spoke softly to himself as he doublechecked his basket, to ensure he had everything he would need. Walking once more down the frozen foods aisle, Zim spotted Dib’s favorite ice cream. Dib had often spoken of how soothing ice cream could be when one was ill.

At last, on his way to the checkout, Zim felt a light zapping, and suddenly he was very scared. Dib’s hoodie was even larger on him now, he noted.

“ _Shit._ ”

Instead of continuing to the checkout, Zim ducked into an empty aisle, where he saw no security cameras, and stuffed all of the supplies in Dib’s hoodie before he made a run for it.

Panting as he entered the Membrane household, Zim was relived to find Dib exactly where he had left him. Gently, Zim shook the taller human, hoping he would wake, but all that happened was that Dib groaned in his sleep.

Grumbling, Zim laid out the items he had retrieved. He placed all cold items in the fridge or freezer, before coming to change Dib’s washcloth. Once that task was accomplished, he dashed upstairs and took off his disguise. A small spark shot out of the device, earning Zim a quite painful bruise on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> https://alexandjadasblog.tumblr.com/
> 
> follow the blog! No Invader Zim art yet, but that will be changing very soon!


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